Spring Equinox

It’s nothing new = same old Spring Equinox and its Sunrise.

Still, a sort of significance to us IS, this sunrise IS showing exact east.

And the time should be Exact 6:00 — though, it was 6:34 — ? ? ?

(I’m not sure, this 34 minuets was due to the distance from the

Greenwich ? — or any other reason ?)     Anyhow, it was the ancient

tradition to know the season from the position of the sunrise though,

how many people watching the direction of the sun in these days ?

[]

We can see any of the fruits or vegetables ALL year round.  (Since, they

are coming from the country where got opposite season)   Even worse,

if you live in London, the climate is more or less the same all year round.

So, we lost the touch of the nature.   And the people who is conscious

about such as Summer Solstice and goes down to the Stonehenge was

branded to be a Nettle-picker or simply, nuts.  —– Something wrong. 

—– Can you expect, we are still within the boundary of the Dharma ?

Or the rules of the universe which may not to be visible to us ?

It’s true, we human being is expecting even longer life than years ago

and overcoming the trouble of diseases etc thanks to the Science and

Technology, so, you might be thinking that the everything would be

clear and any trouble would be resolved though — they are the surface.

Still, there is something behind we can’t see or notice and that IS

controlling our life.

—– Well, I’ll tell you in the next post.

___/\___

[]

 

 

Peach flower

—— (Photo above: taken by a homemade, so-called Gaudy Lens)

Peach flower is much more appreciated in China than in Japan.

In Chinese myth, the famous Shangrila was written as 桃源郷

which mean The place where the Peach Blooming. = (neither

Cherry nor Banana.)   The reason why Chinese value Peach more

than Cherry is, not only its juicy fruits but the color of flower is

more reddish.

The color Red mean prosperity and the longevity to the Chinese.

In a stark contrast, Cherry Blossom is the symbol of the ephemeral

life, even the death to the Japanese (in the Buddhists context.)  So,

Japanese appreciate its moment of the flower falling like a snow

storm, as well as when it was fully blooming.

——- (Photo above Left : by Canon Fisheye Zoom 8~15mm —

——–Photo Right : Converging Lens from Tokina Wide converter.)

The reason why Chinese likes Red was originated from the vermilion.

Vermilion is the Mercury Oxide = deadly poison = therefore it is a

very effective preservative to the timber. So, the Chinese temple etc

has been painted with Red Vermilion = never rotten for thousand of

years.  So, Red Vermilion is the demonstration of the longevity !

And there was a fancy story of the Vermilion, whether it was a 

fabrication of the novelist or not, there said to be an Elixir of life made

from Vermilion, which was repeatedly oxidized and deoxidized 9 times,

called  九還丹 in China.  (If you found it in the Net, you may try ! )

—— (Photo above : Converging Lens from Tokina)

To the Japanese, the appreciation of Peach flower was in its

association with the girl’s festival (桃の節句) on 3rd of March

other than that not much special feeling in the Japanese mind.

So that, other than in the fruits orchard in a country side,

we don’t see as many Peach trees like Cherry in town .

—— (Photo above : by converging Lens from Tokina

Wide Converter mounted on a Bellows = Photo right

= As the lens was mounted on a bellows, it can focus

from ∞ to 1/3 close-up)

Front element of the Diverging Lens has been used somewhere

else, and the left over converging element was used here.  😀

(You may amazed, how photography can be done in such a casual manner.)

[∞]

Wish Better or the Best

Somebody commented “Where the urge to make it better comes from ?”

—– as a reply I wrote “Even a monkey chose a good stone to crack a

hard shell = good choice or not, makes the difference = able to eat or not.

In the worst case, it may cause an injury to the fingers.

It’s mean, it is a key to the own survival= survival instinct.” — yet still,even

if it wasn’t such serious but rather playful situation, we try to do the better.

Just through something, stone, trash — we aim, to a target, bin etc.

—– Why ? —– To satisfy the Ego in a challenge ?  “Hey look I succeeded” or

“I’m better than you” — Was it ?     Not necessary in a serious situation, no

other person around, even trivial small things, such as just put few items

together,  we try to put them tidier way or make the shape easier to handle.

(Then, the personality exposed = somebody pay more attention and make

the things / situations better.    Otherwise, others creates even more havoc !)

If it was an instinct to avoid a pain and to chose the way which needs a least

effort, was based on the learning, why some of us never learn ?  = In the net,

there are endless number of silly stories still, they were produced with the

effort to get an impact and the maximum number of view. 

Have a good fun seems yet another instinct.

[]

After the accumulation of the learning, we human being made up the map

of which can tell General List of Goodies.  Then those would be told by the

old man or wise man as the common sense, moral or social rules still, they

were originated from the human instinct.  Therefore,  the eyes of

Lord Buddha, they were seen as the expression of the Dharma.  And as we

have it in our instinct, it was explained that we were born with the Dharma.

And the Zen is the practice to make it better with thousands times practice.

(If not million times) —– and to learn its mind-set.

So, Zen could (possibly) make a better person (in theory)  😀

I wouldn’t guaranty the better person still, the product produced by the

craftsman with such Zen mind, has been so good, such as the Japanese

cooking knife has become a must have item to the top chef of the world.

___/\___

[]

 

Old Camera — Miranda S

Few days ago, one of my friend (in fact, a friend of friend) gave

me an old camera.  It was a very early model of SLR (Single Lens

Reflex Camera), Miranda S which was made around 1968~70.

After the World war 2, burnt-down country Japan was recovering

in amazing speed though, the camera such as Nikon, Canon was

producing were the old style Rangefinder Camera — still, those Nikon

which went to the Korean War with the American photographer

was highly praised (only the camera kept working under -40 degree

Korean Winter!) and started to gain good reputations world wide.

In 1962, the Asahi Kogaku produced Asahi Flex, the first 35mm SLR ! 

(Later, this company started to produce the SLR using penta-prism

— and changed their name to the Pentax.)

[]

The camera I was given, Miranda S was rather like an Asahi Flex, but

not in a perfect condition to work. = winding-up nob was broken — still,

I could test the function by charge-up the shutter by force rotating the

winding-up sprocket, then click the shutter.

The shutter dial was rotating while charge-up and a release moment.

(It’s an old design soon to be disappeared.)

And the mirror was not quick return, neither the iris was automatic.

To see this Design as the starting point = I can see how the later

development came such far !

 

—– the peculiar things of this camera was, that this one got a waist-level

finder = not a prism view finder. = look down the image which was

left-right reversed ! —– My guess was, that this camera was used by an

academic to take photos through microscope, telescope kind — if not

the owner lost the interchangeable prism finder.

[]

Miranda started to make their camera, called Orion Camera first. 

Then,  changed the name to Miranda, their Miranda Sensolex model was

sold well (I remember their poster.  🙂  ) —– anyhow, to encounter such

old Japanese camera, exported to the Europe was a big surprise to me.

 

I may not able to shoot a photo with this camera since its winding-up

shaft was broken, yet still, even just watching 50 years old

mechanism still working was a great joy.

[]

 

Lord Buddha’s Stance

When Lord Buddha got his Enlightenment under a pepal (bodhi) tree, he received

a milk porridge from a village girl Sujata and eat it.  Since he has broken rank from

heard austere, denying their way, such as torturing the body wouldn’t bring any

supreme understanding of the Truth, so better remain to be ordinary,

this was his fundamental stance.  — So that, in his earliest basic teachings such

as the Four Noble Truth, the Life was defined as in a suffering.   Although the way

to make oneself free from such sufferings was taught, it was not telling like a

transcended vision, but showing a way of the living (of daily life = never staged-up

like walk on the water, or move a mountain but how to handle the things we are

dealing with every day’s life while living together with followers).

= This stance was the very foundation of the Mahayana Buddhism.  

(The reason why in the early days of the Buddhism appear to have so-called

Hinayana style was, probably the influence of one of the disciple Maha Kashapa

who was originally a hard austere monk.  (Buddhism took 5 hundreds years to

realize this mistake).

Another reason why such mistake was made was, that the core of the teachings

was to train one’s subconscious, not a word to memorize. = Buddhism is NOT the

theory/theology or IDEA, but the way how we see the things, react to the situation

or handle the things “without thinking”. ( = Just Doing)

The way to DO or to LIVE in this way can be learned only by the practice therefore

no point to explain it in the word. = Very difficult to teach, let alone to learn.

(To explain or to question nullify the point = like, to explain to be silent.)

[]

The back ground of those teachings was that our brain process the matter

unconsciously — consciousness comes far later after the intervention of the loads 

of “considerations” such as own gain, desire, manipulative trick, etc etc.

What Lord Buddha found was That all of our sufferings were emanated from those

“consideration” or Thinking, therefore to eliminate those thinking and live on the

Moment (you can only see “The Moment” = before or after/future exists only in

your mind/thinking.) you can eliminate Sufferings, also the products of

thinking/imagination = fear, delusion, evil idea etc etc.

Do or Live without thinking IS nothing other than the MUSHIN.

This mindset was described by the Mahayana Script writers as the VOID.

—– So that, the teachings of

Lord Buddha was nothing to do with a fancy stories of Deity or Devil, Angel

let alone fancy “Spiritual” vision, but the practice.  And the everyday’s our life

is the reality of our life = rather messy ugly phenomena.    This was why

Lord Buddha liked to mix with people, eat the same food (he died for

food poisoning of rotten fish = he ate anything = not a vegetarian).

And to live in MUSHIN in what life ? = Just in our life = as it is, nothing special

= just ordinary life — What a dog shit.   But this IS what the Enlightenment.

Lord Buddha didn’t tell anything peculiar or supernatural stories because,

that was not where he stood.   (He was not a magician nor spin doctor but an

Enlightened man = Buddha.  Enlightened wise man tells useful real stories, not

the useless crazy fantasies.)  🙂

___/\___

[]

Karma – Fate – Palm Reading – 神秘線

Those past 3~4 months I’ve been hooked by a kind of Youtube viz which

is talking about how a man and a woman met, to how ugly the story of

their adultery and the divorce battle was  etc etc. = May be a kind of cheep

stories in the tabloid news paper or women’s mag’ sort — I guess. = I guess

because I never read those papers = I don’t know actuary. 

And I was utterly bemused by the sheer amount of those endless stories.  

Fortunately I didn’t have such ugly situations on my life ( If I can say 3 years

court battle which was caused by a fraudulent marriage registration without

my knowledge which a woman schemed it for an immigration fraud — was 

not ugly enough = no violence, no money grubbing etc. but just a clinical

process of the procedure as a litigant in person, up to the Court of Appeal,

stand against the President of High Court !)

not only that, I don’t drink, take no drug, no gamble, no game, gave up smoking

and even no woman = So, in certain stage, I thought, this vice-free life style IS

the very step towards the Buddhist’s Enlightenment.(Like as a Hinayana Dokkaku)

[]

Among the founder of a Buddhist sect, Shinran who formed a Japanese

Pure-land sect was the first monk openly married to a wife while saying that 

“Without knowing the trouble to have a woman, how the priest could give an

advice to the people ?”. (yet it was a common knowledge that the priest having

a woman in their temple — by calling her Daikoku-sama = not wife.  😀 )

—– while reading those ugly or some time sobbing Youtube stories, I started

to wonder, is there anything else in the human life ? = Those ugly messes ARE

what the human life really are.   They ARE the very expression of the Karma. =

What else did cause, hence created those very situations.

(Man’s ego may create something unique, still the Karma boomerang back !

= We can not escape from it in anyway.)   And I’m well aware, soon or later

I’ll join the ques of dying and start to shows demented acts anyway. AND, this

awareness of the reality IS the Enlightenment in the Mahayana = It couldn’t be

a staged, choreographed clean Nirvana.   What’s wrong ???

After all, to become aware Who I AM and to live as I AM is THE ultimate way to

reconcile, therefore to resolve with the Dharma.    It’s mean, this is what the

Enlightenment IS.

That’s why all the great Zen Master said “The Enlightenment IS a Dog shit”    😀

To be as I AM mean as ugly as the reality of myself.    Nothing wrong ! ! !

[]

Dharma is the total dynamic system of the whole existence. 

And the Karma is the relation of how each segment or parts act each other.

How we were born has been defined by the Karma and in the modern 

scientific understanding, they could seen to be defined by the DNA with

the environmental  restrictions. — Spiritualists or Religious people may not

like this definition though, with the advancement of the scientific research,

those relations = which GENE defines what or what environmental / chemical

condition causes what etc. are becoming clear and clear day by day.

[]

So, it has been a popular topics recently, that the relation between the lengths

of the fingers and the sexual power / Testosterone level became well known.

Yet still, the lines in the Palm has been ignored by the most of the people.

With a kind of political correctness, talk about the determinism seems to be

a taboo. — Yet still its exists.  (The palm line doesn’t define you.  It only shows

how you’ve been defined by the DNA = likewise how the brain was developed

accordingly which determines how you behave and think = therefore

influences your way of the life and even a financial position.  It doesn’t predict

future but simply shows natural consequence = such as, idiot lives as an idiot.)

[]

You can have a simple observation of the palm. = Generally there are three bold

lines on your palm. From the top = Heart line, middle = Brain / Intelligence line,

and the bottom (encircle the Thumb) = Life line. 

Compare the character of you to your friend, while reading each palm

= If the Heart line is messy, the emotional state is messy (simpler line = stable)

= If the Brain and the Life line start together, the mind / the thinking has firm

base on the own life (on who you were born to be) but if lines start separately,

the person tend to play with imaginary world (idealist = couldn’t see the reality).

(To go further, you better go Wiki or books.)

[]

This is my palm.  You can see how one’s life has been reflected on the palm. 

In the center of my palm, the Cross was called Mystic or Spiritual line.

This line appears to the person who is religious or got psychic power.

= Or to say, a person who was born to have a certain DNA combination will

have the brain developed in particular way which possess Spiritual power.

(Crossing between Heart/Intuition to Higher Thinking process

may graphically indicates Spirituality)

(Its mean, a person who proclaim to be a psychic or religious without having

this line on the palm is sham. — have look your master or instructor’s palm.)

Though very few were born with this line and with this reality, the line’s

existence was almost a legend in the palm-reading both east and the west, so

that, no typical photo of it in the Wiki (because the people who is talking about

the Palm-reading in the Net is not genuine = he doesn’t have it = no photo.  😀 )

—– And the person who possess this line said to be protected by the

supernatural power. —– such as in my case of 8150 story .ヨシ禅縁起

(Did you convinced, how the palm actuary reflects the person’s life !)

So, to know what your palm is telling, is to know Who You ARE !

___/\___

[]

 

 

The last Glow of the day

——————- last glow of the day ?

A while ago we saw a news of a Rock Star David Bowie’s death though,

how he died, even where he died was not clear.  Even Bowie’s best

friend Brian Eno hasn’t been told.

Bowie left this world incognito = of course alone.

—– Strangely I never gone his concert or took his picture.   Because I

didn’t like Glam Rock and didn’t like his slimy creature like texture. 

[]

About the same time one of the senior member of our Alpine Club

“said to have” died. —– why said to have was that the other member

found it in a news paper report.    Despite the past-away has been

quite active not only in the mountain but also organizing such as the

country-skiing event etc.   He or his family didn’t contact the club at all

and the small funeral was said to have taken place within the closest

members of the family. = Seeing this news in the club’s mailing, I found

that “Yes, this is the manner, the enlightened man taking his nirvana”.

[]

We came to this world alone and die alone. 

Still wanting to die while surrounded by a lots of family members and

the friends, and to have a big funeral —– isn’t this a fear of dying alone,

or a display of the vanity and the greed of the dying or the family ?

There might have been a lots of dramas among the attendances of funeral

= good and bad and ugly, not mention the battle over the inheritance etc.

So, the smallest gathering would be the quietest. And closest to the nirvana.

—– then, give the another thought.

Anyway, the past-away never know whats happens after =

why not to kick a big frolic and have a fun !

___/\___

[]

OMG – Magnolia flowers ?!

London has been having no real winter = no ice, no frost not mention

a snow.    And having the flowering Magnolia.  

OMG, this is utterly crazy.

Of course, there could be “Special garden variety” of  Winter Magnolia

of which I’m utterly ignorant though, this one may not be the case.

Still, this tree had pretty early flowers last year as well.

I do like to break the convention — but this case is not funny.

I like to act brainless though, I have no fun making a fun out of

handicapped person.  Especially if it was created by the human error

such as an industrial poisoning.

I hope this magnolia has normal gene though, = if it was the case,

the climate alone was the cause ? — did it got such wrong ?

It’s just a beginning of January.

( —– in here, top photo was taken by the Zeiss 18mm and the

rest were taken by the homemade lens.)

This photo above was an additional comparison, taken

by the specially modified Canon FD 50mm F1.8 while its

focus was shifted during the exposure. = Since the image

of this lens has little aberration and halation (only having

superimposed out-of-focus bokeh) the contrast was

much higher = more glare) = different kind of fuzziness !

[]

Rice Cake

I would say nothing new = It’s the same story in New Year.

= I made a Rice Cake and made it to an Ozoni etc.

In fact, having the same event so many times again and again

it isn’t much of excitement. —– it’s a routine Sir.

I don’t have new year’s resolution kind. ( but just having

on-going projects which is going to be completed)

= Has to live as usual and do as usual whether it is fun or not.

That what the life is.

(If we plan big, it would fail.  Not a plan but DO have a step further.)

That what the Zen is.

___/\___

[]

First Sunrise of 2016

 

Sunrise in densely build area of London is not dramatic nor beautiful,

nevertheless it was the first sunrise in this year 2016.

Happy New year.

Last night I was in a new year’s eve party of the locals though, as

usual, I didn’t drink but just dancing —– I took some pictures though 

I wouldn’t bother to publish them while taking the consent of all the

people in the photo.    With their generation, the music was 70s, 80s

even 60s.  🙂  — and some kids as well. (very unusual party for me.)

🙂

[]